Bumper-supporting means



Jan. 18, 1927. 1,614,734

. H. s. JANDUS BUMPER SUPPORTING MEANS Filed May 21, 1926 74 WVENTOR W y {ya Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI'TOE.

HERBERT S. J'AlfIDUS, OF DETROIT. MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE C. G. SPBING'& BUMPER COMPANY, OFDETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

BUMPER SUPPORTING' MEANS.

Application filed May 21, 1926. Serial No. 110,676.

This invention relates to means for sup-- portingbumpers inoperative relation to the vehicles: with which. they are employed and has forits general object to provide a simple and eflicient means whereby bumpers may be adjustably secured to such vehicles. More limitedly, the invention comprises a clamp which is adapted to provide a pivotal connection between a bumper bar and a supporting'arm having an eye formed at the outer. end thereof.

It has been proposed to support bumper bars from the eyes on the ends of such arms by employinga U-shaped clamping member,

the arms ofwhich are pivotally connected to such eye. bymeans of a bolt, the bumper bar'bein'g. received between such eye and the vertical baseportion of the clamping member;.with a jam screw threaded into such base portion and serving by its adjustment torforceone face of the bumper bar against the: adjacent portion of the eye. lVhile the means thus described has met with considerable success,: the-device is subject to the objections "that the device'is liable to loosen, through vibrations of the bumper and through lightimpacts due to slight movementszofthe bumper bar against the eyes on the supporting arms; also that such small movements tend to form a fiat spot on the part ofthe;eye engaged by the bar and cause th'e jam. screw ultimately to loosen up.

By virtue of-thea construction of the clamping. device shown and described herein, I am enabled to overcome these objections and to provide atzthe same time an economical and effective:clampingdevice which is adapted to withstand and accommodate all the ordinary incidentsof use.

In the' drawings forming part hereof, Fig.

1 represents a plan view of a bumper and its supporting. arms, showing my invention appliedithereto; Fig. 2 a detail in top plan iew of a portion of the rear bumper bar, the clampingdevice, and the cooperating portion of one of the bumper supporting arms;

Figsr3 and 4 are details in section taken on the lines-33 and H of Fig. 2, respectively; and Fig. 5 a detail in section corre sponding to the line 55 of Fig. 3, the supportinglarm, bumper bar and j am screw being. shown: in elevation.

Describing the variousparts by reference characters 1, 1 denote the supporting arms by which the bumper is secured to theend portions of the vehicleside members (not shown). Each of these arms is provided at its front or bumper-supporting end withan eye 2. The bumper illustrated herein and which is supported by the arms 1 is of thetype shown in the McGregor Patent 1,372,- 154 issued March 22, 1921, and comprises a pair of vertically spaced impact bars 3 hav ing their ends connected by bolts 4 with the ends of the rear or auxiliary bar 5,- the central portion 5 of said rear or auxiliary bar being projected toward and secured to and between the bars 3 by means of the plates 6 of a clamping device. The bumper in its details forms no part of the'invention covered by this application, the one shown herein being selected for purposes ofillu'stration and as providing a bar or member 5 (preferably a part ofthe bumper itself) by means of which the bumper maybe secured to the arms 1. As will be noted from Figs. 3 and 4, the bar 5 is preferablyof the same width as the arms 1, for convenience of ap plying the clamping devices thereto and to the eyes 2.

A clamping device is applied to the eye 2 on each of the arms 1. Each device disclosed herein comprises a U-shaped stirrup or member having top and bottom arms 7 and a vertical connecting web 8, the web 8 being of such height or width as to em able the arms 7 to be slipped upon andover the bar 5 and over the ends of the eye 2, the arms preferably engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the said bar and eye. The arms are provided with apertures 9, pref erably of the'same diameter'as the bore 2 of the eye, such apertures and bore being-adapt ed to receive a pivot bolt 10 having a head 11 at the upper end and a nut 12 at the lower end thereof.

The vertical web 8 is provided with a centrally arranged threaded bore "13 for thereception of a jam screw 14.

The arms 7 are provided at their'lateral edges with inwardly extendinggroovesor slots 7*, which slots are adapted to receive a U-shaped backing member for therear face of the bar 5. This member comprises vertical legs 15 connected by-an integral bar 15*, the backing member being applied to the iii provided therefor by the clamping member with the U in an inverted position, whereby the backing member is pre vented from dropping out of its seats in the clamping member should the parts become Worn or loose.

It will be noted that the rear faces 01"- the slots or grooves 7 are so located as to pro vide a clearance between the rear face of the bar 5 and the front end of the eye 2, whereby the pivotal action or the bumper is secured by the eye 2 and bolt 10 will not be atlected, even though the screw 14 be set up tightly.

lVith the parts constructed and arranged as described, each of the clamping members 7, 8 will'be applied to the bumper bar 5 with the flanges or arms 7' projecting across the-top and bottom of said bar and across the top and bottom of the coo c ating eye 2. The bolts 10 will be applied, arser which the backing members 15, 15 will be shoved or driven downwardly into the respective seats 'ooves 7 and the tops of the upper lla The jam screws 14 will then be set up to force the bumper bar 5 against the vertical legs 01' their respective bacl 'ng members.

By the construction shown and described herein 1. have produced a very simple and efiicient form oi clamping device by means of which bumpers may be secur d to the ends of their supporting arms and which will not only serve tomaintain an efiicient clamping action against the bars of the bumpers with which such devices are used but which will not interfere with the pivotal connections between the clamping devices and the supporting arms.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim i l. The combination, with a bumper bar, of a substantially lJ-shaped clamping device applied to said bar and having substantially parallel members connected by a web, a supporting armliaving an eye at the outer end thereof adapted to be received between said members, a bolt extending through the said eye and the said members and pivotally connecting the said device to said eye, backing means removably applied to the said clamping device and having a bar-engaging portion interposed between the eye and he face of the bar adjacent thereto, and means carried by said clamping device for forcing the said bar against the said backing means.

2. The combination, with a bumper bar, of a substantially U-shaped clamping device applied to said bar and having substantially parallel members provided with bolt-receiving apertures and conn cted by a web, the supporting arm having an eye at the outer end thereof adapted to be received between said members, a bolt extending through the said eye and the apertures in said members and pivotally connecting the said device to said eye, bar-engaging means carried by L-hE said clamping device between the said web and the apertures in said members, and means carried by said web for forcing the face oi? the bar opposite said web against said barengaging means.

S. The combination, with a bumper bar, of arclamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to receive the said bar therebetween and a'web connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said arms being provided each with laterally spaced seats, an inverted U-shaped backing device mounted in said seats and providing with the said arms and the said web a space for the reception oi said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm, means for securing to said arm the portions of the arms of the clamping-device which extend beyond the said backing device, and means carried by said web for forcing the said bar against the legs of said backing device.

a. The combination, with a bumper bar, of a clamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to receive the said bar therebetween and a web connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said arms being provided each with laterally spaced seats, a U-shaped backing device mounted in said seats and providing with the said arms andthe said web a space for the reception of said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm, and means for securing to said arm the portions of the arms of the clamping device which extend beyond the said backing device.

5. The combination, with a bumper bar, 01 a clamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to. receive the said bar therebetween and a web connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said armsbeing provided each with laterally spaced slots, a U-shaped backing device mounted in said slots and providing with the said arms and the said web a space for the reception o1 said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm having an eye at the end thereof presented toward the bumper bar, said eye being inserted between the portions of the arms of the clamping device which extend beyond the said backing device, and a bolt extending through such portions of the said arms and through the said eye.

6. The combination, with a bumper bar, of a clamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to receive the said bar therebetween and a web connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said arms being provided each with laterally spaced seats, an inverted U-shaped backing device mounted in said seats and providing with the said arms and the said web a space for the reception of said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm having an eye at the end thereof presented toward the bumper bar, said eye being inserted between the portions of the arms of the clamping device which extend beyond the said backing device, a bolt extending through such portions of the said arms and through the said eye, and means carried by the clamping device for forcing said bar against the legs of the backing device.

7 The combination, with a bumper bar, of a clamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to receive the said bar therebetween and a web connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said arms being provided each with inwardly extending slots at opposite lateral edges thereof the slots being located between the said web and the ends of said arms, a U-shaped backing device having the legs thereof fitted in said slots and forming with the said web a space for the reception of the said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm, means for securing to said arm the portions of the arms of the clamping device which extend beyond the said backing device, and a jam screw threaded through the web of said clamping device for forcing the bumper bar against the legs of said backing device.

8. The combination, with a bumper bar, of a clamping device comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to receive the said bar therebetween and a web Connecting the arms and from which said arms project, the said arms being provided each with inwardly extending slots at opposite lateral edges thereof, the slots being located between the said web and the ends of said arms, a U-shaped backing device having the legs thereof fitted in said slots and forming with the said web a space for the reception of the said bumper bar, a bumper supporting arm having an eye at the end thereof adapted to be received between the ends of the arms of the clamping device. a bolt pivotally securing the ends of such clamping arms to the said eye, and a jam nut threaded in said web for forcing the bumper bar against said backing device, the parts being arranged so that a clearance will be provided between the said eye and the portion of the bar adjacent thereto.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

HERBERT S. JANDUS. 

